1. What this notice covers
This notice explains how Chinese Out Loud handles personal information when you use our website and related learning services. It should be read with our Terms of Use.
2. Information processed
Depending on the feature you use, we may process:
- the scenario you choose or describe;
- messages you type, translated phrases, and AI roleplay responses;
- account information supplied during sign-in, including your email address;
- practice-session details such as selected settings and saved records;
- technical information needed for the website to function, such as browser and device capabilities; and
- microphone permission status and speech-recognition text when you choose to use voice features.
We do not ask you to provide sensitive personal information. Please do not include passwords, payment information, identification numbers, medical details, or confidential information in practice messages.
3. How we use and retain data
We use account information to authenticate you and provide account support. We use practice messages, selected scenarios, and saved sessions to provide the learning service, show your History and Saved items, and troubleshoot service problems. Active sessions may be stored temporarily in your browser or server memory and can be cleared when a session ends or the service restarts.
Practice records remain in your account until you delete them where that option is available, close your account, or ask us to delete them. We may keep limited information for longer when needed for security, fraud prevention, legal obligations, dispute resolution, or to enforce our agreements.
4. Service providers and payments
We use service providers to host and secure the Service, authenticate users, deliver transactional email, process payments, and provide optional AI features. Depending on the feature, this may include Cloudflare, Render or another hosting provider, Supabase, Resend, Paddle, and an AI provider. These providers process information under their own terms and privacy notices and only as needed to provide their services to us.
When AI features are enabled, text needed for roleplay, custom-scene generation, translation, and language feedback is sent through our server to an AI provider to produce the requested output. We do not use your full payment-card details; Paddle processes payment information as merchant of record where applicable.
Microphone access is controlled by your browser or device. Browser speech recognition and text-to-speech may use browser, operating-system, or device-provider services under their own privacy terms. We do not receive raw microphone audio through the current MVP's browser speech-recognition flow unless a future feature expressly tells you otherwise.
5. Why we process and share information
We use information to provide practice sessions, generate AI responses and learning feedback, restore local sessions, process payments, maintain security, troubleshoot problems, and improve the Service. We do not sell personal information. We may share information with service providers only when needed to operate the Service, and when required by law or necessary to protect users, the Service, or the public.
6. Your choices and rights
You can decline microphone permission, revoke it in browser or device settings, avoid entering personal information, and clear browser data. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, or a copy of your personal information. To make a request, email support@chineseoutloud.net.
7. International processing, changes, and contact
Our providers may process information in countries other than the one where you live. We take reasonable steps to use providers with appropriate safeguards for those transfers when required by applicable law.
We may update this notice as the Service changes. We will post the revised version here and update the date above.
For privacy questions, contact support@chineseoutloud.net.